Smart objects, also referred to as Internet of Things, connected devices, and smart devices, are physical objects with embedded electronics that allow them to send, receive, or exchange data with external systems. The physical object itself may be anything, such as appliances (e.g., washing machines, refrigerators, and coffee makers), entertainment devices (e.g., television, sound systems), wearable devices (e.g., watches, headphones), home devices (e.g., thermostats, light bulbs), vehicles, and buildings, among others without limitation. A smart object may be equipped with electronics and software that enable it to communicate with external systems. For example, a smart object may be capable of communicating wirelessly, such as through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, near-field communication (NFC), infrared (IR), cellular, and/or other wireless communication technologies. A smart object may communicate through a network, such as a local area network, the Internet, or cellular-telephone network. Communications between a smart object and an external system may be direct (e.g., via mDNS, Bluetooth, or NFC) or indirect (e.g., through a local area network).
In the context of this application, a user device generally refers to a general computing device—such as a smartphone, tablet computer, laptop computer, desktop computer—that the user directly interfaces with. A user device may include input functionalities (e.g., touchscreen, keyboard, mouse, pointing device, microphone, camera, etc.) and output functionalities (e.g., touchscreen, display, speaker, etc.). A user device may also include functionality for wireless communication, such as Bluetooth communication, near-field communication (NFC), or infrared (IR) communication, and may be capable of connecting to a network, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs) or cellular-telephone network. A user device may also execute software applications, such as games, web browsers, or social-networking applications. With social-networking applications, users may connect, communicate, and share information with other users in their social networks.